Extent of Alabama WR Jaylen Waddle's injury revealed
Alabama lost one of the most dynamic offensive players in the country early in the first half against Tennessee.
WR Jaylen Waddle suffered a broken ankle on the opening kick return in Saturday’s Tennessee game, it was reported by Aaron Suttles at halftime when Alabama held a 28-10 lead. It was a season-ending injury. He needed two people to help him to the locker room, and later left the stadium in an ambulance. Waddle was coming off of a 6-catch, 161-yard outing in Alabama’s 41-24 win over Georgia in Week 4.
Waddle returned the ball 15 yards before his ankle rolled under a Tennessee defender.
This is a huge loss for Alabama as Waddle was one of the best all-purpose players in the country, and ESPN’s Desmond Howard mentioned him as a Heisman Trophy contender.
Waddle owns three of the top-five longest scoring receptions in Alabama history, and is averaging 19.1 yards per catch for his career to rank second on at Alabama. He leads all Crimson Tide returners with a 19.3 yards per punt return average across his three seasons, nearly six yards better than second place on the career list. Waddle also totaled 606 all-purpose yards as a junior to rank second in the SEC and tie for sixth in the nation.
News: Jaylen Waddle suffered a broken ankle.
— Aaron Suttles (@AaronSuttles) October 24, 2020